An Innocent Game
by Danym
Summary: Grissom has a house guest and is in desperate need of some help.[GSR finished]
1. Part 1

An innocent game

By Dany

Summary: Grissom has a house guest and is in desperate need of some help.

Spoilers: Beginning of Season 3 before Eddie's death and the time Lindsey morphed into a demon child.

A/N: I'm so glad I finished this one because this idea is actually about six month old, but I couldn't find the right end. I hope I found it.

Disclaimer: CSI does not belong to me.

Part 1 of 2

xxxxx

"Gil, please!"

Catherine was sitting in front of his desk, pleading with him to help her.

"Why can't Warrick do it? They're getting along fine," Grissom almost pleaded, pushing his glasses back on his nose, a clear sign of him being uncomfortable.

"He has that seminar _you_ wanted him to go to. And don't ask about Nick. He's not grown up enough that I would leave my daughter with him for that amount of time."

He sighed, knowing that he was defeated.

Catherine had to return to her hometown because her sister had been involved in an accident while visiting their mother. Her sister had survived, but her lungs were punctured, and therefore there was no telling what might happen.

Catherine didn't want to put Lindsey through that and have her miss school for at least a week. The only problem was, where should she stay? Eddie was being his usual irresponsible self and claimed he had gigs all over the country, and her sister was clearly out.

Grissom was a very good friend. She trusted him with her life and although he and Lindsey did not spend that much time together, they got along well. Her daughter was always impressed that she could ask Grissom anything, and he never failed to come up with an answer. Although the little girl was a bit afraid of everything moving in Grissom's home, she was also oddly fascinated by the stuff.

She had already arranged for sleeping arrangements, getting her babysitter to cover for three nights, when Grissom would be working, and the other two school nights Lindsey could sleep at a friend's house. But they could only take her for the nights.

When she had talked to Lindsey, her daughter had not hesitated to say yes. Now, here she was, trying to convince her friend to agree too, and that proved to be a lot harder. "Gil…"

"I guess her grandparents live too far away from school?" he sighed, and she knew she had won.

She would not need to worry about Lindsey now – well, not much anyway.

xxxxx

The first two days went by without any major disaster. Lindsey was on her best behavior. After school she did her homework and afterwards helped Grissom to put up an experiment.

They built an ant farm together, one that could change weather conditions. The temperature could be switched from Alaska to Hawaii, the light was adjustable in intensity, and they could even make it rain. Lindsey was a bit disappointed that they couldn't make it snow, but the rain water didn't get chilled enough because the way down to 'earth' was not long enough.

Grissom improvised and showed her how to make snow in the freezer. It was not perfect, but it made Lindsey giggle and try to stuff some of the 'snow' down Grissom's back.

Hours were spent on this project. It was the ideal way to spend time with the girl. Grissom had been planning this project for quite some time, but he had never gotten around to it. Doing it now made him comfortable, something he needed when dealing with a kid. Another plus was it kept Lindsey occupied. A bored Lindsey would have gone up the walls and driven him crazy. The project also kept her from missing her mother too much.

xxxxx

The third day, though, spun Grissom into panic mode.

Of all things, it was Lindsey's homework that threw him. An obviously very overeager teacher had given a bunch of fourth graders the philosophical task to describe the difference between 'male' and 'female' perception. What kind of task was that for a ten-year-old?

Lindsey had been clueless as to what she was supposed to do, so she had asked Grissom.

He had been speechless at first, but then tried to explain the physiological differences and empirical data on the subject.

He failed miserably.

Lindsey just stared at him with big eyes, not understanding anything.

Seeing that, he started to panic. What was he supposed to tell her when he didn't know what went on in the mind of a woman himself? He contemplated telling her to go to school without homework, but that would not be very responsible. And knowing Lindsey, she was like her mother, not satisfied with silence as an answer. So he did what anyone else would have done…

He called the child's mother to let her handle it.

Unfortunately for him, Catherine's mother told him that she was in the hospital and trying her cell phone, he realized that she had turned it off.

So that was out.

xxxxx

"Sidle," was her reply when she picked up the phone.

She was already awake and going through some forensic journals when the phone rang. Who could it be? No one ever called her during the day. Maybe it was Grissom with a new case, a welcome distraction.

"Hey, Sara!"

It was indeed Grissom, but not with work.

"Grissom, do we have a case?" her eagerness shone through her words.

"No, not really. I…uhm…have a favor to ask of you."

Hearing his uncertainty made her nervous. He was never insecure. Never…but…he only got unsure when she was looking at him thinking about where she would rather be with him. He seemed to sense that.

"What can I do for you?"

"Could you, could you come over?" he was stammering now, and she began to wonder if something was seriously wrong.

"Is everything alright?"

The following silence worried her. Was that the man of thousand words? And then she remembered he had company. "Grissom, is Lindsey alright?"

"Yes, she is fine," he hastened to reassure her. "But I need you…"

What?

"Your female insight."

She was supposed to give him 'female insight'. Wasn't that Catherine's job. She was the mommy. "What does Catherine say to your problem?"

"I can't reach her. I really need you."

Her heart stopped. He had said he needed her – again.

It was not so long ago that he had told her the first time. Ok, it didn't quite mean that she wanted it to mean, but at least he had said it.

"What's the matter?"

She was already up and searching for her shoes and keys.

"I have a problem with her homework," he admitted quietly.

Sara stopped dead in her tracks. Grissom not being able to do a fourth grader's homework? What could that possibly be?

"Oh…Okay. I'll be over in fifteen. Should I bring anything?"

She forced herself into motion again and picked up her shoes.

"No."

"Dinner?"

She paused at the door, wondering where that came from.

"Oh yes. That would be good."

He had probably not thought about that yet.

She smiled at that thought. "Pizza?" All kids loved pizza, right?

"Linds, pizza," he called. She didn't hear the girl's answer, but Grissom spoke again, "Sure. Lindsey wants plain cheese."

She could arrange that. "Okay then, see you in half an hour!"

xxxxx

"Linds, dinner's here."

While he opened the door, the girl rushed out of _her_ room.

On the first day they had redecorated his guest bedroom, Lindsey having insisted on making it more colorful. They had driven to a furniture store and bought some red and yellow pillows along with an art print of a ladybug on a yellow blossom.

Those weren't big changes, but Lindsey's smile made the room brighter anyway.

It was odd that he didn't mind sharing his sanctuary with the girl, and he knew that wouldn't be the case with anyone else. Well, maybe there was one possible exception…

"Hey, Grissom. Lindsey, how are you?"

Kids still seemed to make her nervous, but not as much as before.

"Good," Lindsey smiled at her, a bit shy because they had met only twice before.

"I brought pizza. You hungry?" Sara asked, not knowing what else to say.

They had moved away from the door into the kitchen area where Sara put the pizza boxes on the counter.

"Should we eat first?" she turned to ask Grissom, not knowing how to proceed.

"I think so. What do you say Lindsay? Dinner first, homework later?" he asked grinning, already knowing what the answer would be.

The girl nodded, and Grissom moved through the kitchen, pulling out plates and glasses, handing them to Lindsey who set them on the counter.

Once everything was set, they each took a place to sit down. Grissom sat across from the two females, Lindsey having chosen a seat beside Sara.

She tried to make conversation with Catherine's daughter, asking her what she had been doing with Grissom and listened when the girl described every little detail of the ant farm.

Grissom only watched, choosing to remain silent and observe. After the initial hesitation they seemed to have hit off right.

He looked around his house and suddenly realized how cold it had been before. It was not only the new guest room that made the change in the air.

Catherine had been right. He needed more life in his home.

Having Lindsey, and now Sara here made him realize that something out there was worth it.

xxxxx

Lindsey was lying on the floor laughing. True to their nature, Grissom and Sara had conducted an experiment that had gotten slightly off track.

To show Lindsey the difference between female and male perception, they offered to be guinea pigs.

After they had again explained to her that woman used different parts of their brains differently, they proceeded to show her how that worked in practice.

At first they had used a book that Grissom had found in the bottom of a box in which he had stored the books that hadn't found a place anywhere else in the house. There were some training exercises that fit their purpose. They were to explain travel paths and follow a little figure through the book by instructions.

Afterwards they improvised on tests. They had looked at objects and wrote down their responses. Grissom's showcases had been part of the study, using 'beautiful' butterflies and 'ugly' bugs. Then they had progressed to his books and his music collection.

But what had Lindsay rolling on the floor with laughter was the last part of the experiment.

With some coaxing from the girl, they had agreed to do a taste/smell test. While one got blindfolded, the other made sure Lindsey didn't pick something weird. Just like the other tests, this one was not about the usual associations like bitter, sweet, hot or sour. They got some funny responses; spices were categorized from 'warm and fuzzy' to 'I never want to taste that again'.

Lindsey had fun, and even though the adults wouldn't admit it, they enjoyed themselves too.

What they didn't count on was that the girl still had an ace up her sleeve. When it was Sara's turn again, instead of undoing the makeshift blindfold from Grissom, she pulled Sara's scarf from around her neck and began to tie it over the woman's eyes.

"Lindsey?"

Grissom moved his hands to untie the blindfold when the girl stopped him. "One last try, please."

He sighed and nodded.

"Okay," she continued when the scarf was secure in its place, "Sara, can you lean forward a little bit?"

When Sara moved accordingly, Lindsey pushed Grissom to the right and turned him slightly on the couch. She smiled, wondering if her plan would work.

"Okay, now…can you move your heads just a little bit forward?" Her aim was excellent.

The scientists' heads moved into one direction until…their lips touched and both of them froze.

Lindsey watched with interest. She didn't know herself if this was part of the experiment, but she had once heard her mother say, "I wish they would just get over with it and do something. A kiss would be a good start." She had been talking about Grissom and the young woman she worked with, that much Lindsey had understood.

And her teacher had also said that different perceptions were most prominent in relationships. All of these things had given her some ideas.

Suddenly, Sara pulled away and ripped the blindfold off. She stared at Grissom, eyes wide, mouth open and breathing hard.

Upon the loss of contact, Grissom did the same.

The looks on their faces reminded Lindsey of the bulging eyes of comic characters, and they made her sink to the floor, laughing.

xxxxx

Lindsey was in her room, trying to put everything to paper, while Grissom was sitting in the living room, staring at the tv screen but not really seeing what was playing.

Sara had practically fled the scene after they had gotten over the shock moment, stating that she had 'things' to do before work. Of course he knew that was a cop out, but what was he supposed to do?

Force her to stay and talk? That would have been a disaster since he didn't know what to say himself.

The moment their lips touched, his brain stopped working, and it had yet to function again.

Once they had started with Lindsey's homework, he had actually been able to let go a bit and have fun, although Sara had been there.

He should have been uncomfortable about voicing his feelings, but in this scientific context, it was so much easier. He had shared a part of himself with Lindsey and Sara.

Sara…what did she think?

She had looked as shocked as he had felt. What really bothered him was that she hadn't been able to look at him. Her eyes had been either downcast or on Lindsey. She wouldn't talk to him either.

And when she said she had to go, it was directed more at Lindsey than at him. Had their relationship just been broken beyond repair?

When he looked at the clock, he realized how much time had passed. Lindsey needed to be at the sitters in 20 minutes.

He pushed himself off of the couch to get the girl ready. They were able to make good time and he was at work at his usual time – one hour early.

But when he walked through the corridors, he wished he was not here. He didn't want to face anyone.

TBC


	2. Part 2

An innocent game

By Dany

Part 2 of 2

xxxxx

Sara shut the door behind her, sinking to the floor with utter exhaustion.

Tonight's work had been extremely difficult for her. Well, not only tonight. The last three nights had been, but tonight was the worst yet.

Ever since _that_ day it was difficult to be around him. It was not that she was adverse to the idea, but the way it happened was just so wrong.

He probably hadn't wanted to kiss her. Maybe he did hold her responsible for it. He had refused to look at her since it happened. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall.

Now it was too late.

What happened, happened. And they couldn't take it back.

If only one of them would have reacted differently, telling Lindsey it was a great joke, then maybe they could have pretended it never happened. But neither of them had said anything.

For two days, they had tried to avoid each other, but tonight it had been impossible.

Grissom had brought Lindsey to work because he hadn't found someone for her to stay with, and at the moment they were all working on a hot case. Being already short-handed with Catherine's absence, they couldn't afford to have Grissom take the night off. They had set up night quarters for Lindsey in the break room.

Her presence was a constant reminder of that day, and it also didn't help that Lindsey wanted the three of them to meet to show off the A that marked her paper. The girl was so proud that Sara just couldn't say no.

She had even insisted that they bring some cake to thank Sara for helping out. They had sat in the break room and ate while Lindsey tried to fill the silence with conversation.

It had been awkward at best, nothing like a few days ago. When the time came to go back to work, Sara was more than happy to return to her fiber analysis. Anything to avoid Grissom.

As if that hadn't been enough torture, Lindsey had wanted to say goodbye and had dragged them into the same room again. They had avoided eye contact, and when Grissom and Lindsey left, she only heard a mumbled 'night' from him.

And now, sitting at the door in her apartment, she was exhausted, completely and utterly exhausted.

She wanted nothing more than to crawl into her bed and never come out again.

Had she really lost her chance because of some kid prank?

Had she ever stood a chance?

xxxxx

Catherine stayed two days longer than she had anticipated. Her sister was making progress and had been released the day before, and now she was back in Vegas.

She was glad she had made the trip and had stayed until her sister was settled, but now she just wanted to go back to her little girl. Of course, they had talked on the phone daily, but she had missed holding her, seeing her smile.

It would not be long now until she could have that again. She had called Grissom, and they had agreed that she would pick Lindsey up from school and that she would take one more night off to spend some time with her daughter.

Now she was waiting outside of the school. She couldn't wait to hear her voice. Voice – that reminded her of something else. Grissom had sounded odd on the phone, especially today.

The first few days, everything seemed normal, but then his voice…dropped. He sounded worn down and on the edge. He had tried to mask it unsuccessfully, and she had thought that it was Lindsey's presence. Having to take care of a very lively ten-year-old was not easy, and Grissom was used to having his privacy. She just figured it had gotten to him.

But now she wasn't so sure anymore. Today his voice had told her that something was seriously wrong. It was not Lindsey, he would have told her that. What had him so upset?

A look at her watch told her that kids would be streaming out of the school any minute now, so she exited the car.

"Mommy!" Not five minutes later, Lindsey threw herself into her mother's arms.

"I missed you, baby!" The hug was long and fierce. Now that she had her little girl in her arms she was even gladder that she had the night off. "How have you been? Have been nice to Grissom?"

She pulled back a bit to look at Lindsey. "Has he been nice to you," she asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

Instead of the giggles she had expected, Lindsey broke the eye contact and looked to the ground.

"Linds, has something happened? Did you have a fight?" Lindsey shook her head, looking dejected.

"I did something I shouldn't have done," she whispered and Catherine had to strain to hear it.

"Baby, I'm sure it's not that bad." Without really knowing what she was talking about, it was hard to find the right words to comfort her daughter.

"But it is!"

Catherine could hear that she was crying now. "Baby…"

"I made them hate each other."

Catherine was stunned. What could Lindsey be talking about?

xxxxx

Sara slammed the car door shut and made Nick jump in surprise. They were going through the car of a murdered couple, hoping to find anything that would lead them to a suspect, because so far, they had nothing.

The case wasn't the only thing that frustrated Sara. The people she worked with were doing their best to meddle with her life, and she didn't like that one bit.

For the past few days, Nick had been talking nonstop about first encounters. One should not always go with the first impression, how fast misunderstandings came up, second chances…yadda, yadda, yadda. But the worst was his experience of first kisses.

He should have had a big flashy neon sign above his head.

Every time that they crossed paths, Warrick just kept asking if she was alright.

She wanted to scream.

Catherine took the cake though.

She had used every opportunity to push her and Grissom together physically. Microscopic analysis, cataloguing collected data and fact sheets, waiting for more data, everything that required them to be in the same room together was heaved upon them.

All of that when she wanted nothing more than to stay as far away from him as possible.

How the hell did they know?

Grissom had not told them, that much was clear. He looked even more uncomfortable than her.

Lindsey had probably told her mother, and Catherine had told the guys. Why couldn't that woman keep her mouth shut? Something like that was very private and should not be open for discussion by anyone.

As she was mulling over her 'friends', she had gone through the car on autopilot. Now she was through with the backseat, but her anger had not dissipated. She slammed the door again, and when Nick was about to say something, she shot him down with a look.

She'd had enough.

Pulling off her gloves, she pushed them into an evidence bag and left the garage without another word.

xxxxx

Grissom didn't fare much better. Catherine was always one step behind him, trying to get him to 'open up'.

It had gone so far that he seriously considered locking himself in his office. Not that that would keep Catherine out.

After days of constant observation by the CSIs, he even welcomed paperwork. His head ducked low, not reacting to any noise, he ignored Catherine's knock, hoping she would go away, but knowing it was more likely for hell to freeze over.

No such luck.

She opened the door and entered. Why couldn't she prove him wrong just once?

Catherine stood in front of his desk, saying nothing.

"What do you want?" He finally gave in, pushing the papers away. His tone made it clear that his patience was already running short.

"Breakfast. My house. Today." For everyone else this voice meant 'no argument', but Grissom was certainly not everyone. He was tired of being ordered around by Catherine.

"No!"

"Okay," she said, turning around so he wouldn't see her smile.

Grissom was frozen in his current position. He had expected reasoning, insistence or even blackmail, but not this… this easy way out. Catherine had never given in so easily.

A few pieces in his brain fell together, and he recognized her tactic. She wanted him off balance for a final stroke.

Quickly, he tried to come up with a delay tactic, and he only came up with one idea. "How about tomorrow? I have a Doctor's appointment today." He knew very well that tomorrow was Catherine's day off, and she had planned to take Lindsey to her grandparents. And since tomorrow was Sunday, Lindsey would have school the day after, and he had a feeling that this had something to do with the girl's 'experiment', so Catherine would surely want _her_ to be there.

When Catherine turned it was clearly written all over her face that she had been caught. She looked angry that she had been out-smarted. She gasped for air and ground out, "Maybe another time," before she walked out of his office stiffly.

He let out the pressure with a deep slow breath. Something had to change. He couldn't stand the meddling of his colleagues anymore. Everyday, it got harder to face _her_ at work. She hadn't wanted it to happen, he knew that, but it was not his doing.

They had to eradicate the kiss and return to what they had before.

xxxxx

When Catherine came out of Grissom's office, Sara had just rounded the corner behind her. She had come here to talk to Grissom. They would have to find a way to make it stop. The last thing they both needed was the whole world talking about them.

Sara waited until Catherine was out of sight before going over to his office. Looking through the glass, she saw him staring straight ahead, his face tight with tension.

That couldn't be good.

Catherine had probably been on a confrontation course. His mood would be in the cellar by now.

She wanted to turn around and try again later, but her rational side reminded her that there would never be a 'good' time.

Resolve made, she knocked on the door and waited for him to call her in. He looked at the door. His eyes were wide and angry at her sight, and Sara started doubting her choice again.

But before her brain could even order her legs to move away, he nodded for her to enter. She carefully opened the door and went in, but remained standing close to the door.

"Grissom, can we talk?" She was so nervous, she was almost stuttering.

At first he remained expressionless, but then she saw his jaw twitch. He was thinking, working theories in his head regarding how to respond. When he tilted his head, and his tongue peeked out between his lips, she knew he had reached a decision. "Not here?"

If she said 'yes' that would mean it was private. They would need neutral territory and no prying eyes to talk freely.

"Meet me at my car?" She didn't wait for an affirmation, leaving his office in a hurry.

xxxxx

They had met in the parking lot, and Grissom had asked Sara to follow him in her car. She noted that they were driving out of the city, not to either of their apartments or one of the countless diners.

A sick feeling settled in her stomach, born from a long drive and the dread of not knowing what would happen. She knew they had to talk, there was no way around it, but she couldn't help feeling insecure.

He would probably retreat, telling her that it was just a mistake and that they should forget about it. That was not what she wanted. She wanted to resolve this because their relationship had been more than awkward since Lindsey had caught them off-guard, but not if he would cut them off before they had a chance to move beyond this.

She had been so lost in her thoughts that she almost hadn't noticed Grissom pulling off of the highway to drive down a smaller road. They were moving even further into the wilderness, far away from the "human" civilization of Las Vegas.

A couple of miles further, the vehicle in front of her stopped. She did the same and waited until Grissom got out of the car before following him.

He had picked a nice spot, she had to hand him that. It was outside of the city, but not too far to be an unbearably long ride. It was quiet and the chance that someone would interrupt them was slim to none.

She sighed and looked out into the distance, taking her time to regulate her breathing and get the butterflies in her stomach to settle down. In this state, her words would probably catch in her throat.

Grissom gave her the time she needed, most likely needing it himself to collect his thoughts. He walked over to a large rock and sat down on it, waiting for any signal of her readiness. She sat down beside him a minute later, but didn't speak, leaving everything to him.

Before Grissom spoke, he cleared his throat, trying to get the nervousness out of his system. "You said you wanted to talk. Since silence won't bring us any further, I'll start."

He shifted a bit on the rock, staring straight ahead, determined to get through this. If he had looked at her, he didn't know if he could have gone through with it. "Lindsey, she didn't mean any harm. It was not one of her brighter ideas, but she's ten and she couldn't have known what can of worms she opened."

He paused, not really knowing how to continue. Talking about Lindsey had been an easy start, but now the words failed him.

"I know she didn't." Grissom was surprised that Sara took over for him. "What I want to know is, what can of worms _did_ she open? Cause I don't know what to think about it. I…" she trailed off, and they fell into an uneasy silence.

The problem was that they both knew what they wanted, but had no idea what the other wanted. Neither dared to speak about their desires.

When the silence continued, Sara couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and walked over to her car, starting to get into it. If this was not going anywhere, she could just as well go home and lose some sleep there. All she wanted to do was cry, but she would not do that in front of him.

"Sara, wait!" Grissom called, sprinting after her, taking hold of her elbow as she was about to get into the car.

"If we're not going to talk, I'm going home. Call me if you're ever ready, maybe I'll listen," she was getting angry and it showed. Anger was her defense mechanism.

"I'm sorry, I want to talk. Please, sit back down with me." He looked so helpless, that she melted – like always. The fact was that she wanted to give him every chance he needed if he only said the right things.

She let him lead her back over to the rock, giving him some more time.

"I was taken by surprise by what happened, obviously. I…wanted to ask you to stay and talk about it, but I couldn't say it." He still had her hand in his and squeezed it unconsciously to gain some reassurance.

"This 'trick' was not how I wanted the scales tipped to one side. I had been trying to make a decision for quite some time, but Lindsey took that out of my hands. And I don't like that…"

Sara's face fell. He was letting her down.

Grissom didn't see her face, but he felt her tensing up next to him. To prevent her from running away, he hastened to rectify his comment, "I mean, I didn't like that Lindsey took it out of our hands. But then, maybe we wouldn't be here talking if she hadn't. I just wish it could have happened under different circumstances."

Sara felt herself tearing up, the strain getting too much for her. She turned away from him, almost ripping her hand out of his, but he held tight. His touch was reassuring her, and with some deep breaths, she was able to hold the tears at bay. When she felt in control again, she turned back to Grissom who was watching her carefully.

"I wish that it didn't feel so wrong," she started, "But it does, because Lindsey toyed with us. I want you to want it, not do it because you didn't have a choice." She lowered her head and stared at the ground. Grissom's gaze on her was too overwhelming.

Silence fell upon them again as Grissom tried to process her words. If he read them correctly, they indicated she was not regretting the kiss, only how it happened. That was what he had been trying to tell her, wasn't it? So why were they still in this state of confusion and insecurity?

Because they were both scared of rejection - that was the answer. However, if they were both too scared and neither made a move, then this problem would grow until it destroyed them.

There had to be a way to fix this.

When he turned his head towards Sara again, he found her looking at him. The wheels were obviously turning in her head as she stared into his eyes, seeking something. He was doing the same and in the next moment he believed he had found that something.

At the same time, they leaned in and let their lips meet in their first real kiss. One not forced on them but given freely.

It was so much better this way, because this kiss was not followed by feelings of panic and shame. This was what they wanted.

xxxxx

When Sara entered the lab the next night, she put her game face on. They had decided to keep it from the others that they had worked their differences out. Their fellow CSIs had purposely tried to meddle with their lives, and from now on, no word about the state of their relationship would get out.

She knew Grissom was already there because his car was in the parking lot. She fought the urge to stop by his office. Instead she went to the locker room to store her personal stuff and then wandered to the break room for a cup of coffee.

When she entered the room, she wished she _had_ gone to Grissom's office. They were all there like a pack of wolves, even Catherine who had the day off and…Lindsey.

What were they doing here?

And where was Grissom? He was the only one not present.

They were staring at her, waiting for a reaction, but Sara was frozen on the spot, not daring to move.

That was until someone bumped into her from behind, almost sending her to the floor. An arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her, and she knew it was Grissom. His touch was so unique. Despite being a scientist, she would swear that she could feel the vibes coming from him and identify him that way any time.

Her automatic response was a smile. As soon as she realized what she was doing, she schooled her expression back to neutral. She was lucky that her head was cast down, and her hair was hiding her face.

Grissom must have realized their position too, and as soon as Sara was steady on her feet again, he pulled away, stepping around her further into the room.

He froze in his tracks as he noticed all eyes on him, just as Sara had before. "What is going on here? Catherine, don't you have the night off?" he asked, looking from face to face, seeing only determination.

He stepped back as the intensity of their stares became too much.

"Lindsey wants to talk to you, and so do we," Catherine stepped forward, putting a protective hand on her daughter's shoulder, "We can do it here or in your office, but we will talk."

The urge to put her down and end the discussion now was big, but one look at Lindsey's face and he knew he had no chance. The little girl looked so sad.

Where she was usually all bubbly and smiley, there was now a frown fast in place. Only then did Grissom realize what he had put the girl through. She was not so young that she wouldn't have noticed the coldness between him and Sara. She was ten.

"There is nothing to talk about," Sara barked, appearing from behind Grissom.

She had her eyes set on Catherine and did not see Lindsey. The girl's shoulders fell, tears were rising up in her eyes, and her lower lip began to quiver.

Grissom had been watching her, and when he saw the first tear fall, he bent down to her and took her hand. "Lindsey, it's okay."

Only when Sara saw Grissom react to the child, she noticed the fragile state Lindsey seemed to be in. "Lindsey, I'm sorry."

Catherine could only stare at the two scientists as they were bent down to the same level as her daughter, trying to comfort her. She had always seen them as emotionally deficient, but now she might have to revise her opinion. They were caring about her daughter.

"I'm sorry too," Lindsey hiccuped, her breathing disturbed by the tears, "I shouldn't have done it, and… and I promise I will never do it again." Big fat tears were streaming down the little girl's face, making all hearts melt.

Catherine wanted to comfort her daughter, but she knew there was nothing she could do. This had to come from Grissom and Sara. Sometimes a parent had to stand by, no matter how hard it was.

Suddenly, Lindsey surprised everyone by throwing herself forward into Grissom's arms, clinging to his neck. She couldn't stop crying, and Grissom's instinct to protect took over as he wrapped his arms around her and told her again that it was okay.

Sara put her hand on Lindsey's back and spoke to her, "Lindsey, I'm not mad…we're not mad. It's okay."

The hand stroked softly up and down in a soothing motion, and the girl seemed to calm down a bit.

The other CSIs could only stare in wonder as their usually closed off colleagues handled Catherine's daughter with the utmost care. Were those really the same people they worked with every day? It didn't seem possible.

Grissom leaned in close to Lindsey's ear and whispered something else, but no one else but Sara was able to hear it. They could only see Lindsey nod into Grissom's neck, loosing her grip on him.

Sara fumbled in her pockets and pulled out a packet of tissues. She took one and started to wipe away the tears that the child had shed. When the tears had been dried, Lindsey stood up and smiled at Grissom and Sara. "I promise," she said before turning back to her mother, "Mom, can we go home?"

Not daring to disturb the fragile peace, Catherine only nodded and followed Lindsey out, after the girl had hugged Warrick and Nick goodbye. They were left behind in a state of confusion.

With a small tip of his head, Grissom motioned for Sara to follow him out of the room. As they closed the door to his office behind them, Sara had to ask, "Do you think she will keep it to herself?"

"Well, once the shock wears off, I'm sure Catherine will do her best to get it out of her daughter, but I think our secret is safe. Lindsey is way better at keeping secrets than her mother," he added with a smirk, lowering himself to his seat in exhaustion.

And the night had only begun.

The end


End file.
